High Heat Major League Baseball 2004 Review

The numerous additions and adjustments add up to a sequel that warrants an upgrade for owners of last year's game and a second look from those who were turned off by the series' formerly unyielding adherence to a simulation design.

It isn't obvious from first glance, but High Heat Major League Baseball 2004 is a significant upgrade on its predecessor. While the leap from the 2002 version to the 2003 version was a conspicuous one thanks to the inclusion of player editing features and a franchise mode, the 2004 version is a collection of tweaks and enhancements that improve upon these and other aspects of the game--from the simplest plays you see on the field to the gameplay modes available in the menus. It all adds up to one of the most realistic and well rounded baseball games available.

Create your own players, draft a franchise, and take it through multiple seasons.

The list of play modes has been augmented by the inclusion of a career mode, which is basically the same as the franchise mode, only without salary restrictions. The other options include exhibition, season, franchise, all-star game, playoffs, batting practice, and home run derby. Also returning is the two-on-two showdown mode, where you pick a pitcher and hitter from one team and have them participate in a scoring contest against a pair of players from another team, but without any position players on the field. In this mode, you earn points for throwing strikes and getting base hits. The two-on-two showdown mode is great fun with human or CPU players, because the scores often reach 30 points or more in just a few minutes.

High Heat Major League Baseball 2004 also lets you edit the stats and physical characteristics of any of the more than 1,000 included players, and it gives you the opportunity to make 48 custom players of your own. The only drawback is the absence of a quick method for updating the rosters to reflect opening day lineups. This is disappointing, because the availability of a network adapter for the PlayStation 2 makes such a feature easily possible.

High Heat 2004 has 30 different pitch types, some contributed by Curt Schilling himself.

Those familiar with previous High Heat games will appreciate the additions of full minor league rosters and market value restrictions in the franchise mode. You can call up players from all levels of the minors and send struggling players back down to AAA--or lower. At the same time, the contracts of players on your roster count against your available budget, which you need to follow from year to year. You have the option to start your franchise based on last season's rosters or participate in a fantasy draft that allows you to select individual players from the overall pool of major and minor leaguers. Throughout the season, you also have the ability to make trade offers to other teams, although the CPU is smart enough to decline four utility players in exchange for a marquee player like Barry Bonds. All that's missing from the franchise mode is the ability to create custom teams and hire a coaching staff.

Another new addition to High Heat Major League Baseball 2004 is its tuning menu, which gives you precise control over more than 20 different game variables. You still have access to the standard set of difficulty and simulation options you've seen in other baseball video games, but High Heat 2004 lets you take things further by giving you control over settings such as runner speed, human batting averages, and the frequency of foul balls. If you're a beginner, you can diminish the speed of pitches, base runners, and throws so you can work on your timing without sacrificing 10 runs per inning. If you prefer an arcade-style game, you can increase the contact and power ratings of human or CPU batters. Each option has a slider that lets you choose exactly how difficult or realistic each aspect should be. In this manner, High Heat Major League Baseball 2004 is more accessible and customizable than previous games in the series.

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High Heat Major League Baseball 2004

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